Shadows and Storms
by ForeverFaithful93
Summary: What happens when Cammie goes on a simple trail ride on her grandparent's ranch and ends up lost, miles from the house in the middle of a thunderstorm with an injured horse and a man in black on her trail?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey! I really hope you guys like this story... Read and review, please!**

Great, just great. I told my grandpa that I was finally old enough to go on a trail ride by myself, I am sixteen after all, and what happens, I get lost. And what did Pap say before I left, "Be careful Cameron, don't get lost." It was like he knew that I was two over-confident as a spy to pay attention to the trail markers. This is just wonderful...

I think I'm lost. And you know it's bad when a spy says that. Isn't this why we are trained in the first place? To notice our surroundings, be sure of ourselves, and know where we are at all times. Not get lost.

"Now lets see, Tonto, Where in the world are we? Pap always said that the horse will get you home if you are ever lost, but you seem to be taking me in circles." Things must be getting bad, I'm talking to a horse.

I have got to start paying more attention when I'm riding, I can't keep thinking about... him. I haven't seen or heard of Zach since my aunt almost died. And that was before Christmas, a whole semester ago. There hasn't been any developments at all about the people who are after me. Aunt Abby is still gone, although she came and saw me when I was in London with Bex for Christmas.

And I was kinda hoping that Zach would show up, after that note I found in his jacket pocket. But I didn't see him, and most of all, I didn't feel him there. I can only hope that he is safe, that it was just a misunderstanding when that guy noticed him in the alley when Abby was shot. And now it was summer and I was stuck on my grandparent's ranch.

Here I go again, thinking when I should be paying attention to where this crazy horse is taking me. I swear we've passed that rock at least three times before. Now that I've started paying attention to my surroundings, I finally noticed the dark clouds that were forming above my head. This is not cool. I'm lost and there is a storm coming. Great. "Tonto, we need to get somewhere sheltered, cuz this looks like it's going to be a huge storm."

Suddenly I heard a twig snap behind me. My back straightened, my eyes grew wider and my ears were listening for another sound out of the ordinary. Maybe I was just hearing things, or Tonto stepped on a fallen branch. What am I thinking? Of course I'm not hearing things. I'm a spy. And there just happens to be a bunch of people out there somewhere who want to capture me. So what if I'm a little jumpy. But I definitely heard that twig snap.

"Come on Tonto, let's get to shelter before this storm hits." Just as I was about to nudge my horse forward, I heard another twig snap, and this time I was sure it wasn't my horse, he wasn't moving yet. "Tonto, lets go now!" I ventured a glance behind me, just to make sure I wasn't crazy, and just as I suspected, there was someone there. He was just behind the tree line, just inside the shadows, but I could see enough to know that he was in all black, head to toe, and he was looking me straight in the eye.

At that same instant, Tonto decided that now was the time to take off at a gallop, and I was forced to turn my attention back to not running into a tree.

We had been going at a steady clip for about half an hour when I saw something through the trees. There was a break in the tree line right by a small stream. Wild Cat Rock. Perfect. "Great job Tonto. We can wait out the storm in there." It was a small cave, just big enough for me and my horse.

The last time I had been here, I was nine, and my grandpa and I went for a "nature walk" although it consisted more of riding horses than actual walking. By now it had started to rain, hard. I had managed to get Tonto across the stream with out completely drowning myself. As it turns out, this horse doesn't like thunderstorms, or water. But we made it into the cave, it was smaller than I remember, or maybe I was just bigger.

I looked around and realized that someone had made a fire pit, and had pulled in some logs to sit on. Someone must have stayed here recently. I hope it wasn't that guy from the woods. He gave me the creeps.

I wish I had cell phone signal out here, but of course I don't, and I must be at least 10 miles from my grandparents, cuz the walkie-talkie isn't picking up anything but static.

A huge crack of thunder shook the sky and spooked Tonto. He reared up and cracked his head on the low ceiling of the cave. He came down hard and fell to his knees. "Oh no, Tonto!" I grabbed the reins before they could become tangled in his legs. Tonto sank to the ground and laid on his side, the whites of his eyes showing. I've grown up around horses here at the ranch, and I've come to realize that when the whites of their eyes show, they are scared, and Tonto was terrified.

Oh Lord, what am I going to do? There was a gash on Tonto's head and he was bleeding pretty bad. What am I going to do? I'm miles away from the ranch house, my horse is definitely not ride-able at the moment, and it's storming! What am I going to do...

Come on Cammie, snap out of it. You are a spy, you are trained for these type of situations. Think. Focus on what you can do, not what is out of your control.

I stepped over to the backpack I had been wearing. I looked around and I pulled out a water bottle that was almost completely full. I also grabbed a jacket I had packed in case the weather turned bad, ha little did I know then. I made my way back to Tonto, and poured some of the water on the gash on his head. It was below his left ear, right above his eye. After I was confident that the wound was clean, I picked up my jacket and used it to try and get the bleeding to stop. Luckily the gash wasn't very deep. I looked up at the ceiling of the cave and saw where his head made contact with the rock. There was only a small mark. I hoped that it had just stunned him, and that he wouldn't have a concussion, or worse.

And at the moment, I was seriously hoping the guy who had been staying in this cave wouldn't be returning for a while.

But of course, when you're a girl with my luck, does anything ever go right?

**A/N: So, what do you think? Good, bad, in between? Let me know! I'm curious! And yes, I do talk to my horse... :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Here is the second chapter... hope you like it! **

"This is just great Tonto, I thought I knew these woods enough to know where I was going." The bleeding from the gash in his head had receded enough that I didn't have to hold the jacket on it any longer. So, now that I had nothing to do, I started pacing. I know, Liz is supposed to be the pacer, but, what else can I do? I'm stuck in a cave with an injured horse with no way home. And there is someone out there in that storm. "Again, great. Well it's no use just standing here, or pacing here. I'm going to step outside and look for a trail that leads back home. And try not to get struck by lightning."

I stuck my head out of the cave just as a huge flash of lightning lit up the sky. There. In the woods. I saw something. Someone. Dear Lord, not again. Please tell me that wasn't the guy from earlier. I don't think he saw me. Should I go out and look for a trail, and risk running into that person, or do I stay here in the cave, and wait for that person to run into me? I'll go look for a trail. Tonto isn't going anywhere any time soon.

I pressed myself against the cave wall as another flash of lightning lit the sky. There's a trail just across the stream. If I can get there, then maybe there will be a marker as to where it goes. I sure hope so.

As I stepped out of the cave, I looked around for something that I could use just in case I did run into that guy. The only thing I could find in the rain was an old axe handle. This thing would be more useful if it still had the head on it. But, Pap always told me to make due with what I have, so this is better that nothing. Although, I really don't need it, come to think of it, I could kill just about anyone with the water bottle I had in my backpack.

But just to be on the safe side, I kept the piece of wood with me anyway. I slowly made my way across the stream that was rising at a fairly fast rate, and I had just made it to the tree line when lightning lit up the sky. I scanned the area for the person I had seen earlier, and I spotted him, making his way towards the cave. But I only had an instant to look, before the world became dark again. As the thunder shook, I felt my way through the trees, trying to be as quiet as possible.

I came to the trail that I had seen from the cave and was searching for a sign when I heard Tonto start panicking. As if on cue the sky was lit by lightning again and I was able to see inside the cave. The man was there. With my horse. And then it was black again. This was really starting to get annoying. I had a flashlight, in my pocket, but if I used it, the man would see where I was, since he obviously found out I wasn't in the cave.

Wait, there was a light coming from the cave now, the beam from a flashlight. The man must have thought I was gone because he started moving around, searching for something.

I moved back into the trees and sat down, watching this person move around my horse with the stealth of a spy. I hoped I was deep enough in the trees so that he wouldn't see me if lightning struck again.

I glanced around after my eyes had adjusted to the darkness and saw a sign. It said "Trail Marker 22." Amazing! This is great! I know how to get home from here! I remember this trail because the last time I was here, my grandpa had made a comment on how it wouldn't be too long before I was 22.

Relieved, I glanced back at the cave. The man had sat down on one of the logs. He pulled off his mask. And glanced up, just as a bolt of lightning lit up the sky. Oh my goodness. It was Zach. Here. In the cave. In Nebraska. I must have been far enough back in the trees, because he looked around and didn't seem to notice me.

As the thunder shook, I stood up, eager to talk to him. I made my way back through the trees, towards the cave. As I was about to cross the stream, Zach saw me. The look in his eyes scared me. I had never seen that kind of emotion before. It varied from shock, to anger, to happiness, and finally settled on fear.

The storm was starting to pass, and the sky was beginning to clear. "Zach, what are you doing here? Are you the guy I saw in the woods?" My words were coming out in a rush.

"Cammie, you need to get in here. Stay out of sight." Zach grabbed my arm and pulled me inside the cave. It was barely raining now.

"Zach, what is it? What's wrong? Why are you here?" But instead of answering me, Zach looked around, glancing everywhere, like he was expecting someone.

"Cammie, I'm not the person you saw earlier. There is someone else out there. Someone else is searching for you." Of course Zach wasn't the person I saw earlier, he would never step on a twig, let alone two.

"Then who is out there?" I was starting to get worried now. The fear that had finally moved to the back of my head was right there in the front again. "Zach, what's going on?"

But before Zach could answer, Tonto was on his feet, walking toward us. "I looked at your horse, he seems to be fine, and now that the storm has passed, you need to move on. It's only six miles to the house." Zach reached over and picked up my backpack. "You'll be needing this. As soon as you are in range, radio you grandpa and tell him you are alright, and that you are on your way home."

"Zach, what's wrong? I don't understand. First you told me that I need to stay out of sight, and now I need to go home?" I was starting to get confused.

"Cammie, the best thing you can do now, is to go home and stay there until I find this guy. I just don't want you to get hurt." He walked with me and Tonto outside the cave and gave me a leg up onto the saddle. "You'll hear from me. But don't come looking, cuz you wont find me." And with that he disappeared into the woods, becoming nothing more than a shadow.

"Come on Tonto. Lets go home."

**A/N: So, you know the drill, did you like it? ps. I love reviews... :) **


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I really hope you like this chapter, sorry it's kinda short...**

As I nudged my horse forward, I felt someone looking at me. I glanced behind me, thinking it was Zach, who couldn't have gone far. But instead of seeing those familiar green eyes, I saw dark brown ones, staring menacingly at me.

"Zach, where are you?" I asked shakily. The man in black laughed and took a step forward. And then Zach was there, tackling the man.

"Cammie, run!" Zach managed to say as he and the man fought on the ground. I kicked Tonto forward and he galloped to the trail. I pulled up on the reins and glanced back and saw that Zach had the man pinned down. He glanced back at me, "I'll find you. Don't worry about me. I'll be fine."

"Be careful Zach." I whispered as I nudged Tonto forward again and we were running towards home.

____________________________________________________________

"Cammie! We were getting so worried about you! With the storm and everything." My gramdma rushed toward me. Tonto and I had made it home in record time, I've never gone so fast for so long on a horse before...

"I'm alright Gram. Tonto may need to be looked over by the vet though. He hit his head on the ceiling of Wild Cat Rock." I hoped my grandparent's didn't ask too many questions.

"Did you go in there to get out of the storm?" My grandpa asked as he looked at Tonto's head.

"Yeah, I kinda got turned around a few times and the next thing I knew, there were storm clouds and we were at Wild Cat Rock. I had just got Tonto inside when the first thunder crashed and he spooked." I explained the whole story to my grandparents, leaving out the parts about the man in black and Zach.

"I'm going to go call Doc Bennett, why don't you go on upstairs Cammie, it's getting late, and you are soaked to the bone." My grandpa took Tonto's reins and walked him towards the barn. Gram opened the front door for me and ushered me upstairs.

____________________________________________________________

"Bex, I don't know what to do. I mean, of course I want to go looking for Zach, but I can't do it on Tonto, Doc Bennett said that he wasn't ride-able for a week." I had called Bex as soon as I got out of the shower. She was still in London, and her parents were deciding whether or not she should accompany them on their mission to the Middle East.

"Do you think your grandparent's would mind if I came and stayed the summer with you? Since you stayed the winter break with me." Bex sounded excited at the idea that she would get to help me "hunt" for Zach.

"Of course they won't mind. They love you, plus I already asked them, and they said that they think it is a wonderful idea for you to come and stay with us. Did you ask your parents?" I heard mumbling in the background as Bex preceded to ask her parents if it would be okay. "Bex, are you sure you want to spend the summer here with me in Nebraska, rather than going on some secret mission with your parents?"

"Come on Cam. You versus my parents, you win of course. And they said yes, and that I'll be at whichever airport is closest to you at around 10 o'clock tomorrow morning. See you then!" And then she was gone. I'm not even sure I want to know how she was going to get here so fast, but it's Bex, so why am I surprised?

It was only 9:45 and even though it had been a terribly long day, I didn't feel like sleeping. And when that happens, I start to think. And sometimes that's dangerous, especially for a spy.

**A/N: Again, sorry it was short. Did you like it? Yes, no, what are your thoughts? I love to read reviews!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hey! Here is the 4****th**** chapter! I hope it's good… and that you like it…. Review please! And I keep forgetting to add a disclaimer, so, I am not Ally Carter, I'm just having fun.**

I awoke with a start. It was 3:36 in the morning. I had finally fallen asleep, but I had had a dream, well more of a nightmare. The eyes. The eyes from the rooftop. The eyes from the woods. They were the same.

I glanced around, searching the room for those eyes. I couldn't find anything different or out of place. Everything seemed normal. Well as normal as things get when you are a spy. I lay back down and closed my eyes, listening to the sounds of another summer storm.

My mind wandered back to the woods, the cave, and Zach. Where had he come from? Why was he here? Is he okay?

As hard as I tried, I couldn't get those questions out of my mind. Sighing, I sat back up, swung my legs over the side of the bed and stood up. So much for getting anymore sleep.

I didn't want to wake my grandparents, so I carefully made my way down the old staircase. My grandparents lived on an ancient farm house. Complete with huge kitchen, a fire place in every room, and the classic creaky stairs that could wake even the heaviest sleeper. Luckily, I had mastered the "stair dance" when I was about 4. It was kinda funny to watch, especially when you were observing Bex try and navigate the stairs in her first pair of 4.5 inch stilettos. If only I had had my camera.

But, at the moment, I was alone. As I made my way outside, lightning lit up the sky again. I looked around, searching for the man in black, starting to panic. "Cammie, you're safe. You're fine. Don't freak out just because of a simple thunderstorm." I muttered to myself.

I decided that I would go to the barn and check on Tonto, it had been a long day for the both of us. I used to love to come out here and sleep in an empty horse stall, or up in the hay loft. I was pulling open the barn door when I saw something move out of the corner of my eye. Acting as if I hadn't seen anything, I slipped inside the half open door and locked it shut behind me.

I looked out a window and realized that the movement that I had seen was a tree moving in the wind from the storm. Relaxing a bit, I flipped of a light and walked over to Tonto's stall. The light switch only lit up the lights over the first three stalls, everything else was still in shadows. Tonto was dozing in the back corner of his stall. The vet must have given him something for his nerves after looking at his head.

"Hey buddy. Thanks for working with me today. You're a wonderful horse, you know that? I'm sorry that you got hurt." I was about to continue my conversation with my horse, I know, talking to my horse, again, when I heard something coming from the tack room.

That's strange, Pap always locks that door. One of the barn cats must have gotten stuck in there earlier today. I was about to go and get the key when I saw Tonto's ears go flat against his head, and the whites of his eyes were showing again. That's when I realized that it wasn't a cat stuck in the tack room.

Just then a bolt of lightning struck and all of the lights went out.

As my eyes adjusted to the sudden darkness, I ducked inside Tonto's stall. I could barely see through a small crack in the wall. There was a light coming from under the tack room door. I glanced around trying to find another way out, other than the one that led right past the tack room. That turned out to be the only easy way out. And the only weapons I had were my two hands and a very drowsy horse.

If I could slip over the wall and into the neighboring stall, I could climb out the window. The only problem was that there was a horse in that stall, and she was noted for her temper. I quickly decided that I would risk the horse; I would rather have a horse bite than a gunshot wound.

I was straddling the wall when the tack room door opened and the beam of a flashlight cut across the room. I slipped off the wall and landed in a heap on the floor.

I heard a chuckle, and then, "That wasn't one of your most graceful landings, Gallagher Girl."

"Zach, what are you doing here? In the barn, on the stall floor of a very angry horse." I think I was more worried about being trampled to death, that the man in black, for a second.

But instead of answering me, Zach covered my mouth with his hand and whispered, "I really don't think we should be talking at the moment." I started to protest when the flashlight cut across the top of the stall. The man was muttering something about his luck and getting the jobs in the storms.

"Weren't you supposed to take care of him?" This situation was beginning to remind me of a previous one in a train car. I had gone to great lengths to try and avoid that memory, but when you and the boy from said previous situation are pressed up against each other, very much similar to the aforementioned situation, it is rather difficult to avoid that memory. Especially when the boy was very good looking, and smelled wonderfully, compared to the bottom of a horse stall of course.

"He got away from me, but I trailed him here, which wasn't difficult at all. He must be new, cuz he managed to get locked inside the tack room by your grandfather. I was getting ready to come and find you when you showed up." Zach had turned so we were looking at each other. The man in black had moved to the hay loft, apparently he liked the view. "When you walked in here, you looked scared. What's wrong Gallagher Girl?"

Like I really wanted to tell Zach about all of my problems, "I really don't think that now is the best time to talk about this. Shouldn't we be taking control of the situation, and eliminating the cause of all this commotion, the dude in black?" With that, Zach and I managed to both stand up and move out of the stall, without disturbing the now very angry horse.

We had almost reached the ladder to the loft when the lights came back on, leaving us exposed in the aisle to the man in black, who was directly above us.

**A/N: So, what did you think? Yeah, I really do want to know…. And I was wondering if I should do part of this in Zach's POV. Any ideas? Reviews!!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hey! Sorry this is another short chapter, but, here it is… Hope you like it! Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, only the horse… ;)**

Zach grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the ladder. Just as we were about to climb up into the loft, the barn door opened. "What is this, Grand Central?" Zach whispered in a very displeased tone.

We ducked into a nearby room, which happened to hold all of the tools. It probably looked very comical, if you could see us, trying not to make enough noise to wake the surrounding farms. Through the crack in the door, we could see that the visitor was my grandpa.

What in the world? Why is he here? I was about to voice my concerns, there was a man in black in the hay loft after all, when my grandpa walked over to Tonto's stall. "Hey there bud. I'm sorry about your head; I thought I could trust Cameron. I must have been wrong. Let me look at that." And with that, my grandpa moved inside the stall and began to examine the horse, apparently talking to horses runs in my family.

I could feel Zach begin to tense behind me, "I can't believe he said that he couldn't trust you. I mean, you were going through a heck of a lot back there, and to me, you seemed to have handled it fairly well. But then again, who am I to say anything about his sixteen year old granddaughter." I turned around, very carefully, to look at him. I started to tell him that he had no right to talk about my grandfather that way, when I saw movement out the window.

"Zach, look…" The man in black, he was scaling the wall. He was escaping. I can't believe it. How in the world had he gotten out of the hay loft? The only way out was down the stairs, or out a window. Which is 35 feet off the ground… but that doesn't surprise me. At all.

After getting over the shock of seeing the man who apparently wants me dead escaping, I turned around to find that my grandpa was moving out of Tonto's stall, and towards the tack room. Apparently, Zach and I were thinking the same thing, cuz he shoved me towards the door. While my grandpa was getting something from the tack room, Zach and I made our way out the barn door.

It was still raining, hard. We rushed to the porch. "Where are you staying Zach? But first why are you here?" Before he could answer me, the lights in the barn shut off. I started towards the door, as my grandpa left the barn. I really didn't want to be caught outside in a storm, especially with a boy. Since my grandpa can't trust me anymore.

As I watched my grandpa leave the barn, Zach moved to the side of the porch, "I have to go Gallagher Girl. Like I said before, don't look for me, you won't find me. I'll find you." And with that, he was gone. Again. I was just about to follow him out into the night when another flash of lightning lit up the sky and convinced me that Zach would keep his word. He would find me. I just hope he found me before the man in black.

As I walked back in the house, I realized that I was completely soaked to the bone. If Pap found me like this, he would definitely start asking questions that I didn't feel like answering at the moment. Plus, I was freezing! I hurried up the stairs, and quickly changed out of the wet jeans and hoodie I had thrown on earlier.

When I was finally dry, I collapsed on my bed and stared at the ceiling. I hoped that Zach was safe, and dry. Oh well, he's a Blackthorne Boy, he'll be fine. I closed my eyes and the questions finally stopped nagging my brain. I prayed that sleep would come easily, and it did.

**A/N: So, what do you think? I know, it's not in Zach's POV, but, I'm getting there… Review and let me know what you think!**


	6. Chapter 6

1**A/N: Okay, so I changed my mind, the chapter in Zach's POV is coming, just not yet... ;)**

My eyes flied open and I glanced around. I had heard something. Something different, out of place. Something had made me wake up.

I glanced over at the clock and it said that it was 4:57am. I must have really fell asleep, cause it has only been a half hour since I had come inside from seeing Zach and the man in black and my grandpa.

There. I heard it again. That noise. It sounded like something scraping. I sat slowly up in my bed and looked around. Nothing was out of place, nothing was moving. I heard the noise again, and realized that it was coming from outside the window.

My closet was directly across from the one window in my room. So I decided to do the only thing I could think of. I hid in the closet. I know, very spy-ish of me, but cut me some slack, there was a man out there who very possibly wanted me dead.

I rummaged around through the luggage bags that were on the closet floor and found the one thing I was looking for. My stash of Napotine patches. Now, whoever came in that window would be asleep in a very short amount of time.

I glanced up through the barley open door and saw that there was a man outside my window. But I couldn't tell who it was, I left my night vision goggles back at school. It could have been Zach, but he would never make that much noise by simply scaling a wall.

Whoever was outside my window managed to get it open and was halfway inside when someone else showed up. Only this time it was from my doorway. What the heck? Who are these people? And why am I still in a closet when all the fun seems to be out there…

I ducked out of the closet and managed to make it to my bed. I realized that one of the men was Zach. And apparently the other was the man in black, although they were both wearing black.

For the first time for a while, I felt like laughing, cause Zach wasn't winning against a guy he called an amateur. It was going to take a while to let him live this one down.

I snuck up behind the bad guy, aka the man in black, and slapped one of my handy dandy Napotine patches on him. And then he fell over, on my foot.

"Took you long enough to show up Gallagher Girl." Zach was completely out of breath, from a so called amateur.

"And I thought you said that this guy was new or an amateur or something. And from where I'm standing, you seemed to be on the side that wasn't winning, against a guy who you said had to be an amateur." I couldn't help it. It was too good, the fact that Zach Goode wasn't as good as he thought he was.

"I never said he was an amateur, I said he must be new cuz he got locked in the tack room by your grandfather. And he is stronger than he looks." Zach picked the guy off my foot and moved him to a chair in the corner of my room. I was amazed that all of this had happened in a minute and thirteen seconds, and with so little noise that you could hear the slight drizzle of rain landing on my windowsill.

"Well, thank you. For being here. How did you get here exactly?" I was curious as to which entrance he used. Had to be one of the other second story windows.

"The front door, your grandfather left it unlocked. You see, I had tailed this idiot here to a hideout he had made. And from there, I tailed him back here. And watched as he started to climb the wall to your window. So I figured I'd meet him here and I was lucky enough not to have to waste time picking the lock on your front door," He began tying the man in black/bad guy/idiot up, and I began to wonder what exactly we were going to do with him.

"Zach, I'm glad you got here on time and everything, but what exactly are you planning on doing with him? He can't stay here in my room." I was starting to get a tad bit worried. My grandparents were early risers, and it was 5:00 in the morning. They would be getting up in about thirty minutes.

"Don't worry about it. I'm going to take him back to my camp and wait for Solomon to come and pick him up." By now the guy had been tied up by three different types of rope, one of them duct tape, and Zach was getting ready to lift him onto his shoulders.

"Wait Zach, thank you. So much." Impulsively I reached out and gave him a hug. And when I expected him to pull back, Zach's arms were around me and he was holding me.

"It's all right Cam. You're welcome. I'm here. Everything is going to be fine." He had started rubbing my back and I couldn't help but think how this would have been so nice if there wasn't a man in black sitting tied up in my bedroom.

"You know, Bex is going to be really mad if she finds out she missed out on all the fun stuff. She was actually looking forward to finding this guy." I moved back from Zach and he looked over at the man slumped over in my favorite reading chair.

"Well, I will probably have this guy tied up for a while, cause I need to find out exactly who he is, contact Solomon, and wait for him to get here with a whole crew of CIA interrogators. What time did she say she would be here?" He glanced at me and almost smirked.

"She said that she would be at the nearest airport at around 10o'clock in the morning. And the closest airport would either be 100 miles away or the runway the neighbors use for fun. So, she will most likely be here at about 10:15 tomorrow morning. And tomorrow is the day my grandparents go into town, so we will be here alone, if my grandpa decides he can trust me again." I still couldn't believe he said that he couldn't trust me. It wasn't my fault there was a thunderstorm and the horse I just happened to be riding was afraid of said thunderstorm.

"Okay, so I'll take this thing," he motioned toward the guy in my chair, "to my camp, and then I'll come back here in the morning and get you and Bex. That way you two can see everything for yourselves." And instead of picking up the guy like I thought he was going to do, Zach pulled me into another hug. "I think I would die if anything happened to you Gallagher Girl,"

I think he was about to continue when we heard a chuckle from my chair. "Oh, isn't that sweet. You're in love. Well it won't matter. Cause it's already started. This isn't over."

**A/N: So, what do you think? Is it okay? Is it terrible? I'd really like to know… so please review!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Here is another chapter. I really hope you like it…**

I glanced away from Zach and looked toward the only other person in the room. Apparently the only place on that man that Zach hadn't covered in rope/duct tape was his mouth. So virtually the guy was harmless. But then again, he supposedly is a spy, who are almost never harmless.

Zach had moved toward the man, his fists raised. I was tempted to try and stop him, but that would probably end very badly. So instead, I just tossed him the duct tape. And before the man could utter another word Zach had his mouth covered with 3 layers of duct tape.

I felt the need to tell him that my grandparents would be awake in a matter of minutes, and as I opened my mouth to say so, he looked at me, "Can you toss me another Napotine patch?" He smirked as I handed him a couple more than necessary.

As soon as the guy was unconscious again, Zach came over and wrapped me in another hug. "Don't worry about what he said, I'm sure he was just trying to scare you." And it worked. For the first time, the words that he said finally sunk in, _This isn't over._ I glanced up at Zach, looking him in the eyes.

"Is it true, was he right? Zach I'm scared…" I felt a single tear fall slide down my cheek. Zach reached up and brushed it away.

"I'm right here, and I'll never be far away. I love you Cammie. And I won't let anything ever happen to you." And before I could say anything he had picked up the man and was out the window.

I managed to lay back down and at least look like I was asleep when my grandma stuck her head in at exactly 5o'clock.

I remember falling asleep as soon as my grandparents were done checking to make sure that I was still in bed. And then the next time I woke up it was 10:10am and I was alone in the house. That's funny, my grandparents left without waking me.

As I made my way down the stairs, I realized that Bex would be here any minute. And that reminded me of the events of last night. Zach had said he loved me. And the man in black had said that this wasn't over. And Zach had said he loved me. Wow.

And even though I know that I can fully take care of myself, I mean come on, I am a spy after all, I really didn't want to be alone at the moment. That guy had really freaked me out last night. What had he planned on doing when he got in my room, and what would have happened if Zach hadn't been there?

I made my way down to the kitchen and found a note on the table.

_Cammie,_

_Your Grandfather and I have gone into town. You were sleeping and we didn't want to wake you. You had quite a day yesterday. If anything happens, you know how to contact the neighbors. Your friend Rebecca should get here sometime today. Have fun and don't get hurt. Love you._

_-Gram_

Like the neighbors would be of any help to me. I glanced up as I heard a car pull into the drive.

Bex was here! I ran out of the house and met her in the drive. "Bex! You're here!"

"Of course I'm here, where else would I be?" She laughed and gave me a hug. "So what happened with Zach after we talked?"

We were making our way into the house and up to the spare bedroom beside mine. "Well, I went out to the barn because I couldn't sleep," I explained everything that had happened last night not leaving anything out.

"Zach told you he loved you! Wow Cam that is huge! What did you tell him?" She looked at me and I could see the curiosity in her eyes.

"I didn't say anything cause that was the moment he decided to take the man in black out of my room via the window. Although he said that he would come and get us today, but I'm not sure when." I looked around taking in my surroundings.

Something doesn't feel right. Someone's here. In the house. On the first floor. "Bex, do you feel that?" I whispered at my best friend hoping she understood.

"Yeah, someone is down stairs." Her accent grew thick with excitement. She may be looking forward to this but I'm not quite so enthusiastic. The last time someone had surprised me, it ended badly.

But being the brave spy I was, I followed Bex out of her room. I prayed that the person down stairs was Zach and not someone else good enough to get past the security system, aka the two really big dogs now dozing on the porch.

We climbed down the stairs without making a sound, and for once it felt like we had the upper hand. Until we saw who was standing there waiting for us.

**A/N: So, you know how this goes, do you like it? Please review and tell me! ;)**


	8. Chapter 8

1**A/N: Ok, so here is the next chapter, I hope you like it...**

**Zach**

I was sitting at the corner of the woods bordering the Morgan's property, just inside the shadows, looking towards the house. I had watched as her grandparents had pulled out of the drive leaving Cammie completely alone. I was waiting for Bex to get there so I could bring the girls back to my camp.

I glanced up as I heard a car pull onto the gravel driveway. Bex. I saw Cammie run out of the house and up to her best friend. They laughed and hugged and headed back into the house.

I reached into my pocket as my phone vibrated. I checked the Caller ID and saw that it was Solomon. He was supposed to call as soon as he reached the neighbors landing strip. He said that he would be here in about 15 minutes, he just needed to finish up a few things and he would be right over.

I was walking out of the woods when I noticed a man moving across the porch, right in front of the Morgan's two huge dozing dogs. He was wearing black just like the one who was sitting bound and gagged at my camp.

The man had just moved inside when I noticed movement coming from one of the second story windows. Cammie and Bex were going downstairs. And were heading right into the path of another man in black.

____________________________________________________________

**Cammie**

Well, the man at the base of the stairs wasn't facing us, so he really wasn't waiting for us. But he was still standing there, and that was all he was doing there, just standing. I glanced over at Bex who was standing beside me on the stairs. We both had the same idea. Before the man could turn around Bex and I had him on the floor and covered in duct tape.

Bex loves playing interrogator, so I let her ask all the questions as I sat on the guys back, strictly a precautionary measure.

"So, first question, WHO ARE YOU?" Bex was enjoying herself. I on the other hand, was kind of uncomfortable. I mean, apparently this guy was here for no good, or he would have knocked, and I am sitting on him at the moment.

Well, there was a problem with the whole interrogation idea, cause I kinda put a piece of duct tape over his mouth. And he seemed to be having trouble speaking. So I looked up at Bex and silently pulled a Napotine patch out of my pocket and waved it in the air.

She nodded, giving in to the fact that she would have to give up her dream of torturing the guy for the minute.

I had just slapped the patch on the big man's neck, and when I say slapped, I mean slapped, when the front door opened again. I jumped up off my seat and Bex whipped around. But instead of seeing another man in black, we saw two. Zach and Mr. Solomon.

____________________________________________________________

**Bex **

Well, that was uncalled for. I get in my perfect stance to take out another bad guy and what happens, two good guys walk in. Where's the fun in that?

Joe walks over to the guy who was now laying unconscious on the floor by the stairs. He nods his head and looks over at us and smiles. I think he just approved of our take out of the bad guy. And I thought this day would never come.

Zach walked up to me, "Hey Bex. How are you?" He actually seemed like he wanted to know how I was.

"I'm good. Thank you, and your self?" Why am I talking like this? It's Zach, we were in PE together...

"I'm good," Zach watched as Cammie moved over to where Solomon was and started answering the questions he was asking. She was really shook up. "Bex," he waited until I looked him in the eyes, "thank you. For being here. I don't know what I would have done if she was in here alone." I was shocked to see that much emotion in his eyes. He really was in love with my best friend.

"You are welcome, like I would miss all this fun. Thank you, for being there last night, although you weren't winning." I smiled at the look of shock that crossed his face. "Cam told me. And to think that you called that guy an amateur."

"I never said he was an amateur, I said I thought he was new." Zach's face turned red. Zach Goode's face turned red.

Mr. Solomon must have been done with Cammie cause he called me over.

As I passed Cam in the living room, I reached over and gave her a hug and whispered, "You did great today Cam." And then I kept on walking until I reached Solomon and the guy who was still unconscious.

"Ms. Baxter."

"Mr. Solomon." Wasn't this supposed to be summer break? What's with all the formalities?

____________________________________________________________

**Cammie**

Wow. I can't believe I just told my CovOps teacher about Zach being in my room last night. Ha. My mom will get a kick out of that. As I passed Bex in the living room, she reached over and gave me a hug and whispered in my ear, "You did great today Cam."

And with that, she walked over to where Mr. Solomon was and answered his questions.

Zach was still standing in the entryway, so I walked up and leaned against the door.

"I'm glad it was you who walked through the door just now. I don't think I could take another man in black." I shuddered at the thought of what could have happened the last few days.

"I told you that I would never let anything happen to you." He looked at me, and I suddenly remembered that I hadn't told him that I loved him. Awkward. Don't get me wrong, I do love him, now more than ever, it's just, I really don't want to say that with my teacher within hearing distance.

"Thank you. You want to go for a walk?" I needed to get out of the house.

"Sure." As Zach went to open the door, a car came up the drive. I glanced out a window and saw that it was my grandparents. What are they doing back so soon? They just left an hour ago.

Zach turned and looked at me, then to Bex and Mr. Solomon, and the man in black slung over Solomon's shoulders. "So much for our walk."

**A/N: Ok, so what do you think? I'm curious. I'm sorry if I wrote Bex and Zach's POV's all wrong... Let me know what you think! **


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Hey, I'm so sorry that it has taken me so long to update. School started and then some things came up and I just didn't feel like writing. So, here is this chapter, sorry if it's terrible…**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Gallagher Girls, if I did, I promise I wouldn't be writing fanfiction… ;)**

I glanced back out the door to see that the dogs were no longer sleeping on the porch, but they were now detaining my grandparents inside their car, for at least another 30 seconds.

"Don't worry Cam, I'll keep them busy while you get those three out of the house." And with that, she was out the door. Ok, so now that my grandparents are taken care of, what am I going to do with them? I turned around and Zach had pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket.

"I found this place when I was out in the woods yesterday. It's a small cabin, probably once a place for hunters to stay. And it looks like it would work for a meeting place." Zach showed Solomon the map and he nodded his head.

"That would be great. I'll go with you to your camp and we'll pick up the other one of these," he gestured to the person still over his shoulder, "and then we will set up a base camp in that cabin. Ms. Morgan, you know how to find this place?"

"Yeah, sure. It used to be owned by a neighbor, but no one has been there in years, so, Bex and I will meet you there. At say, 1:45 am? That way we can be sure that my grandparents are asleep." I heard my grandparent's car doors close and the excitement in their voices as they greeted Bex.

Mr. Solomon backed towards the basement door, looking at me, and then Zach. "I'll meet you in the woods behind the barn."

Zach turned towards me and looked me in the eyes. "I will talk to you tonight. Be safe, you and Bex. I don't want to come and pull you out of a well, water trough, or any other object that could be potentially dangerous." If only he knew the number of times I have accidently gone for a swim in anything that holds water.

"You be safe yourself. Don't you or Solomon do anything too stupid. I don't want to get to the cabin tonight to find the two of you bound and gagged and being watched by 10 men in black…" I think he realized that I wasn't kidding as he looked me in the eyes and kissed me on the forehead.

"I'll see you tonight." He turned and walked down the basement stairs and didn't look back.

I walked outside in time to see my grandparents pulling back out of the drive. "What was up with that?" I asked as I waved to my grandma as the car disappeared around a turn.

"They had come back to see what kind of food I liked since I haven't stayed here for a while. They were surprised to see me walk out of the door when they pulled up. You should have seen the look on your grandmother's face… So I told them what I like and then they left. I told you I would take care of them." We turned and started walking back towards the house, and I filled her in on what the guys had said about meeting later tonight. "So, what are we going to do now that we don't have to meet them until later? Oh, I know! Let's go for a trail ride. That sounds like fun."

"Sorry Bex. Can't do that. You'll have to talk to Pap if you want to go for a ride, cause apparently he doesn't trust me enough, seeing as how I got my horse hurt. He must think I can control the weather. Plus, there were two men in black out there and neither one of them acted like they wanted to wish us well, and there could just be more, so why don't we just stay inside for a while."

"But Cam, I wanted to se-" Bex started to whine but I cut her off.

"What would you say to a movie marathon? You wanna try and break Tina's records of 'Most Movies Watched At One Time' and "Most Bags of Popcorn Eaten While Holding a Movie Marathon"?

"Why didn't you say that we were going to beat Tina at something? I would've been game a long time ago. Let's go… we have some movies to watch!"

"Bex, what time is it?" I had to ask, cause I was really hoping that my internal clock was set too fast.

"Six thirty-two and 27 seconds, give or take. Why?" She looked up at me, concern starting to creep into her eyes.

"Did my grandparents happen to mention what time they would be home?"

"No, they didn't say. What time do they usually get back?" She had paused the movie and was now leaning across the couch.

"The latest they've ever been gone was 3:45." I was starting to get worried. I had tried not to think about it for the last movie, but now I couldn't concentrate on anything else.

"What do you want to do Cam?" Bex was all spy now.

"I think that if they aren't back by 7:30 then we are going to go looking for them…"

Bex and I were standing in the attic looking at some old maps my grandpa had of the surrounding area, trying to figure out where we were going to look for my grandparents if we found that they weren't in town.

"I think we should check out that valley, it looks like it could hide a large number of people without giving away their presence. And then from there, we could travel up that hill, and maybe scout for any tracks that look suspicious."

"Sounds great. Cam, we'll find them." We started down the ladder to the second floor when the dogs started barking. And it wasn't the same kind of barking as 'hey there's a rabbit'. It was a 'there's someone we don't know' bark. And by the sounds of it, there was more than one. The last time that this had happened, there was a person trying to break into my grandpa's barn and steel his horse.

"It's probably just Zach or Solomon." But we both knew that they were good enough not to get caught. Or they knew that we were alone. I glanced back at Bex and we ducked into one of the spare bedrooms. I heard one of the dogs growl and then whimper like it had been hurt.

We moved down to a room that had a lock on the door, like that would help us. The dogs had quit barking, this wasn't good. I looked around but I couldn't find a phone, Bex and I had both left ours in the living room.

I heard the door open, and then footsteps on the stairs. Bex looked at me, and then grabbed a bookend off the shelf, and I glanced around and found one of those iron things you use to stir a fire. It looked relatively sharp and heavy. Bex and I positioned ourselves in the room where we had the first shot, and through the darkness I could see the gleam in Bex's eyes, and I mouthed "good luck". And in a voice so soft that I had to really strain to hear it, she said, "We are Gallagher Girls. We don't need luck." And then we listened as the footsteps got closer, and closer, and I prayed she was right.

**A/N: You all know the drill, let me know what you think. Please… **


	10. Chapter 10

_**A/N: Ok, so I'm sitting here at my computer drinking a cup of hot tea wondering if I should do my pre-calc homework or write the next chapter in this story… guess what I decided. **_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the wonderful Gallagher Girls or the Blackthorne Boys, unfortunately. **_

_I heard the door open, and then footsteps on the stairs. Bex looked at me, and then grabbed a bookend off the shelf, and I glanced around and found one of those iron things you use to stir a fire. It looked relatively sharp and heavy. Bex and I positioned ourselves in the room where we had the first shot, and through the darkness I could see the gleam in Bex's eyes, and I mouthed "good luck". And in a voice so soft that I had to really strain to hear it, she said, "We are Gallagher Girls. We don't need luck." And then we listened as the footsteps got closer, and closer, and I prayed she was right._

The door knob turned slowly. The bookend Bex held came down hard on the head of a very unsuspecting older gentleman. Luckily Bex had checked herself before the full force of her blow had struck the man's head. When he fell to the floor I saw his face.

"Pappy!" Oh my gosh. My grandpa was lying on the floor. I had just come very close to beating the life out of my grandpa. That would not have been good.

"Mr. Morgan! I am so sorry. We had no idea that was you. Here, let's get you off the floor." Bex grabbed one arm and I took the other. Together we lifted my grandpa up and onto the bed while he tried to remember where exactly he was. Apparently Bex had hit him harder than she thought, there was a rather large goose-egg growing on his forehead.

"Pap what happened? We were about to go looking for you." And then it hit me, "Where is Gram?"

My grandpa looked up at me and the last time I had seen that much emotion in someone's eyes was the night my mom had told me that my dad was never coming home. "We were about 10 miles from home, that one stretch of road where you never see anyone and there was a car with their emergency flashers on. I pulled over and stepped out of the car to see if they needed help. When I got to the car no one was there. I looked around but when I didn't see anyone I turned back to the car and saw that you grandmother wasn't there. Her door was open and her purse was still sitting there, but she gone. I grabbed a flashlight from the glove box and started searching. I looked all around the car but I couldn't find a trail. About 20 feet from the road I saw something white. There on the ground was a piece of cloth saturated in a strong smelling liquid. It had a faintly sweet smell."

"Chloroform." Bex and I said at the same time.

"That's what I thought. At that the moment I heard an engine start up somewhere back in the woods. I ran until I saw where they had been parked but there was no way I was going to be able to catch up with them. That's when I realized that whoever was out there would probably try and come after you girls. When I got here and couldn't find you two I started to get worried. And then Bex hit me with that bookend."

"They have Gram. I can't believe it Bex. They have my grandma. Pap we have to go look for her. These people are dangerous." I got up and started toward the door.

"I know they are Cameron, your mother told me. She sent you here to protect you from the same people who killed your father."

**A/N: I know its short… But if I didn't stop there, it would be really long. Please let me know what you think…**


	11. Chapter 11

_**A/N: Ok, so this chapter is really, really short. And for that I am sorry. But, nonetheless, I really hope you like it…**_

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**_

**Zach POV**

"Zach, I want you to scout the area, make sure this location is secure before the girls get here. I'm going to stay here and talk to this guy." Solomon crossed the one room building and ripped the duct tape off our captives mouth. "I'll expect you back in 30 minutes."

I turned towards the door as the questions began.

**Bex POV**

"Cam, are you alright?" I was really worried about her. She has never been this out of it.

"Yea, I'm fine. Pap, what did you say my mom told you?" The color was slowly starting to return to her face.

"She said you needed protecting. That someone was after you, and that she wasn't going to be around this summer and she needed me to watch out for you."

"How did you know they killed my dad?"

"She told me that too."

"I don't believe you. My mom has kept his life from you for so long, why would she tell you now?" There was anger under the surface of Cam's voice, and there was hurt in her eyes.

"Cameron, to make a long story short, I've known about his career choice from the beginning. I may not have been a spy myself, but I do know people and I will keep you safe, to the best of my ability."

**Cam POV**

I feel horrible. I can't believe I just said that to my grandfather.

"Pap, I'm sorry. Thank you, for taking care of me…"

"You're welcome honey. Now lets go find your grandmother."

**Zach POV **

"Joe? Mr. Solomon? Hello?"

Where could he be? I was only gone 30 minutes. I reached forward and opened the door to the small shack. The single room was a wreck. Apparently Joe had set up an interrogation room and it had been torn to pieces. Someone had been here, other than Joe and the man in black.

And whoever it was now has Joe Solomon.

_**A/N: Ok, so, I told you it was short. But, I still want to know what you think… Thank you so much for reading my story!**_


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Ok, sorry it took so long…**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, except the horses…**

**Cam POV**

"Pap, I think it would be best if the three of us stuck together." I looked down at the map that was laying on the table in front of us.

"Cam, I appreciate the fact that you're worried about me, but trust me honey, I can take care of myself. Plus I know this country better than anyone. You don't have to worry about me." He reached over and gave me a hug.

"Ok, since we won't be sticking together, why don't we use these," Bex reaches into her bag and pulls out three separate comms units. "These are good for 10 miles, and they use a special kind of radio signal so that no one can listen in on our conversations."

I looked at the tiny piece of equipment in the palm of my hand and could only think of one word, "Liz."

"Surprisingly not. These were actually a gift to me from my parents. Haha. They wanted to make sure I could handle any situation out here in the middle of nowhere." My best friend smiled and proceeded to explain to my grandfather how these things work.

"Ok. So we need a plan. I think Bex and I should head out towards that old hunting cabin, just to see if there has been any recent activity," I glanced over at Bex and she nodded her head. "Pap, maybe you should stick to the property line, ride back towards Wild Cat Rock."

"That sounds reasonable. I don't like the idea of you girls going out there alone, with no way to protect yourselves."

"Pap, really, I think we will be fine. You don't have to worry about us. Are we going to ride the horses?"

"That would make the most sense. Those horses know this land to. They will always get you home." Where have I heard that before? "Tonto is still laid up, so why don't you take Rocky. Bex you can take Cheyenne. They are both really sound horses and will take care of you."

I stood up from the table and looked out the window. The stars were so bright and the moon was half full. When I was young I used to love to watch the stars with my dad, we would take a blanket out to one of the pastures and just lay there and count the stars. I never worried about anything else, I always felt safe. It will never be the same.

As I was looking out at the stars I saw something move along the barn. Something was out there.

"Bex." She was at my side before I could even blink my eyes.

"I see it. What should we do? If we go out there, he has the advantage. If we stay in here, we have the advantage but also run the risk of getting trapped inside." She moved to another window. "There only seems to be one of them. Whoever that is."

At that same instant, the person, who was in all black, turned from the barn and started towards the house.

"Bex, Pap get into the bedroom. Now." I turned away from the window and saw the determination in my best friends eyes, not to mention the seriousness in my grandfather's.

"No." They both said it at the same time.

"I'm not leaving you Cam." The twinkle was back in Bex's eyes.

"And I made a promise to your mother and your father, that I would do all that was in my power to keep you safe. That doesn't mean hiding in a bedroom while my granddaughter takes on an idiot."

My grandfather moved across the room and picked up a baseball bat. And Bex picked a spot where she would be absolutely lethal if the person chose to come in through the door, or a window for that matter.

And standing there looking at two of the most important people in my life, even with some man in black coming closer by the second, I couldn't help but feel safe.

And then the man in black reached the door. And knocked.

**A/N: Sooo, what do you think? Thank you for reading!**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Only a few more chapters!! Let me know what you think…**

He knocked? My grandpa moved across the room and opened the door.

"Hello sir. Sorry to cause trouble." Zach. The man in black was Zach. You have got to be kidding. "Cam, we've got trouble. They have Solomon." I felt the color drain from my face. If these men are good enough to capture my teacher, then what are they doing to my grandmother?

"They don't just have Solomon Zach, they have my grandma too." I couldn't help it. A single tear slid down my cheek. I brushed it away before anyone saw. "We have to do something. Zach, why don't you ride with Pap, and head back toward Wild Cat Rock. Bex and I were going to ride toward the cabin, but since you just came from there, we will ride up the ridge, toward the river."

"Look what I just happen to have an extra one of." Bex smiled as she handed Zach one of the comms units. "Good for 10 miles and no one can listen in."

"Okay, so who exactly are you and who is Solomon?" My grandpa looked so confused. It was almost funny.

"I'm Zach Goode, I go to a school much like the one the girls attend. And Solomon is a teacher at their school. A very good teacher." Zach looked down.

"It is nice to meet you Zach. It would be best if we got started now. Beginning with tacking up the horses. You can ride can't you?" Pap looked over at Zach. Great this was going to be a battle over egos. Wonderful.

"Yes sir I can ride." My grandpa and Bex made their way toward the door. "Hey, everything will be alright." Zach reached over and touched my cheek were the single tear had fallen. Apparently I hadn't hidden it from everyone.

"Please don't make any promises you can't keep." I looked out the window at the stars and thought of those nights my dad and I would just stare up at them. "I couldn't stand losing anyone else Zach. I don't know what I would do."

"I'll ride with you, Bex can ride with your grandpa."

"Thanks for the offer, but I would like for you to ride with him. Keep him safe. Bex and I will be fine. I promise." I smirked. Yes. I Cameron Morgan smirked at Zach Goode. Ha.

"I don't know if I want you and Bex riding around in the middle of the night. Not with these people out there." Like I hadn't already thought of this.

"Zach, don't worry about us. You and Pap will ride the property line out toward Wild Cat Rock. Bex and I will ride in the opposite direction along the ridge out toward the river. I know these trails, my horse does too." I saw the emotion in his eyes. "I love you Zach."

"I love you too."He looked down at me and smiled. What would I do if I lost him? Now was not the time to be thinking about this. Now was the time to focus. We walked out of the door and towards the waiting horses.

I walked over to my grandpa's side. "Be careful Pap, please don't do anything stupid."

"Now, what would make you think I would do something like that?" There was a sparkle in his eyes, but I could see behind it a worry that filled his whole face. "You be careful too. Take care of Bex, and if you see anything strange, radio me immediately." My grandpa swung up into his saddle. "I love you Cam, be safe."

"I love you too Pappy." Why was this so hard?

I climbed up into my saddle and looked over at my best friend. The look in her eyes was a combination of pure excitement, adventure, and adrenaline. What would I do without her?

"Ok, so is everyone clear on who is going where?" Everyone nodded their heads. I looked down at my watch, "It's 11:05, why don't we meet back here at, let's say, 3:00?"

"Sounds good. Be careful Cameron, you too Rebecca." My grandpa looked at us, and then turned his horse away and started towards the trail.

"Be safe." Zach looked at me, his eyes filled with worry. "Take care of her Bex." He turned his horse and followed my grandpa at a trot.

"You ready Cam?" Bex's accent was thick. Oh, this was gonna be fun.

The good thing about these comms units is that no one can hear your conversation, unless you want them to. Like now, Zach and Pap couldn't hear the conversation that Bex and I are having, much like the fact that Bex and I can't hear the conversation that Zach and Pap are having.

"I can't believe you told Zach you love him!" Bex had a smile on her face, "It only took you long enough."

"Ha ha. Yea, I can't believe it either." I looked around. "The ridge continues on for miles. Do you want to keep riding it or do you want to move down along the river?"

"Why don't we stay here, on the ridge, for maybe another mile. And then we can move down to the river."

"Sounds good to me." I looked up at the sky. "So, what's going on with you and Grant?"

**Zach POV**

"So, what's going on with you and my granddaughter?" Cammie's grandfather was kinda scary.

"I'm not sure sir. I came up here to protect her. To do my best at keeping her safe." I looked around, "I promised her mom that I would do all I could to find out who these people are and why they want her."

"Well, you seem to be doing a fairly good job." We rounded a bend in the trail. "Wild Cat Rock is just up ahead."

Through the trees we could see a light coming from the cave. Something was going on in there. "Sir? Do you see that?"

"Yea, I'm going to sneak up and get a closer look, you try and get the girls on the radio." He slid from his horse and made his way noiselessly through the brush.

"Chameleon, come in. Hello? Cammie? Bex?" They aren't answering.

"We've got a problem Zach; there are men in the cave. I can't see what they are doing, but it looks like they have my wife and your teacher." He moved back towards his horse.

"That's not the only problem; Cam and Bex aren't answering their radio."

**A/N: Ok, so thoughts??**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Ok, so I am so sorry that it took me this long to write this chapter. But, I hope you like it and please let me know what you think…**

"Bex, I think it's about time we move down off the ridge." We had been riding for what seemed like forever, seeing nothing, hearing even less. "I wonder how Zach and Pap are doing…"

"I'm sure they are fine Cam, probably getting along great. Talking about fishing and hiking in the great outdoors." I glanced over at my friend and couldn't help but laugh. "Relax Cam, Zach would never let anything happen to your grandfather."

And that was what I was worried about, that he would get himself hurt while trying to save one of us.

**Zach POV**

Great. We found them. I don't think any of us really thought about what we would do if we actually found them. I keep waiting here, in the trees with Cammie's grandfather, for men in black to come storming in carrying Cammie and Bex.

**Cam POV**

"Bex, did you hear that?" All we had been getting on the radio was static for the past 15 minutes.

"Cam *static* we *static* now *static*."

"Zach, I can't hear you. Come in. Zach." Nothing but static. "Bex, we have to do something."

"I know. Wait, what's that sound?" She looked around, pulling the unit out of her ear. "Cam, its not static. That sounds like a helicopter."

We could see it in the distance, in the light of the moon, just coming over the mountains. It started to land in a clearing on the other side of the river.

"More men in black." Wonderful.

"Why don't we"

"Leave." Bex was finishing my sentences. Great.

We pushed our horses into a full gallop and were into the forest before you could say Gallagher. Apparently we had rode farther than either of us realized because after about 5 minutes there was suddenly sound in my ear.

"Bex, we've been out of range!" We pulled our horses up to a stop, "I wonder how long Zach and Pap have been trying to contact us."

"We couldn't have been out of range. These things were supposed to be good for 10 miles." She starts muttering in a language I won't bother to translate.

"Cammie, are you out there? Please, please come in." Zach's voice came over the radio, almost sounding like an earnest plea for us to be alright.

"Zach we are here. We are fine. Nothing's wrong." I rushed to assure him that we were alright.

"Why did you two go radio silent?" Zach's sweet voice was replaced by my grandfather's stern tone.

"We are sorry sir; apparently my comms units aren't as wonderful as they appeared to be in the package. We were out of range temporarily." Bex became the calm, polite girl who sat beside me in CoveOps class and who was raised by two elite spies.

"I'm just glad you two are alright. We have found what seems to be the base for these men in black." My grandfather mumbled something to Zach who then took over the description.

"There seems to be about seven of them, and your grandmother and Solomon are both there."

"Um, we might have a problem. We just saw a helicopter land and it is quite possible that there may be more bad guys on it…"

"Wonderful." I could hear the frustration in my grandfather's voice. He began mumbling something to Zach.

"We have to go Cam. If you need anything, please, contact us." And then before I could respond there was silence. I slid down off my horse and sat on the ground.

"Cam, they are alright. Nothing is wrong, they just probably had to be quiet because of the men in the cave." She moved off her horse we both sat there wondering what to do next.

Suddenly there was a sound behind us. We had been sitting still too long. The men who had landed in the helicopter must have seen us when we galloped into the woods. And we just gave them the opportunity not only to track us, but the advantage of finding us with our guards down, at the one time in our lives when we needed them the most. My heart raced as I heard a twig snap, breaking the silence that enveloped us.

"Hello, Cameron. How nice it is to see you." A woman. Her voice. It sounded so familiar. I was on my feet and ready for anything. Ready for anything but the sudden force that knocked me to the ground and turned my world upside down.

**A/N: Ok, so that's it. Please let me know what you think. Only one more chapter left… ;-)**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Last chapter… Let me know what you think. I really hope you enjoy it. Thank you for reading. **

The weight that had crushed me into the ground was suddenly gone as I glanced up and saw a sight I shall never forget.

The woman who had followed Bex and I was being tackled by another, someone quicker, someone who seemed to be fighting for her life. And that was when I realized that that person wasn't fighting for her life; my mother was fighting for mine.

I was too caught up in the sight of my mother struggling with this woman to notice that Bex was no longer by my side. Instead she was taking on a man in black. And beside her my teachers from Gallagher were also fighting. And my aunt Abby.

It hit me like my mother's tackle when I realized that the helicopter hadn't been filled with more bad guys but actually good guys. Wonderful guys.

It seems that the reason Zach and Pap had to go silent was because the men were moving. They had been moving toward us, toward Bex and me. At the same time a woman had been moving in on us from the other side. We had been essentially trapped, but like always, my mom had been there. And behind her had been the people I have grown to love as family.

At that instant I felt someone beside me, and before they could lay a hand I had them on their back, unconscious in one swift move. Good, I haven't completely lost my touch.

I glanced up and saw that my mom had won the upper hand and was now pinning the woman to the ground. All around me men in black were falling to the ground; Zach and Solomon being two of the strongest forces on our team. The men in black must have been so surprised by the sight of the people who had come to my rescue that they let Mr. Solomon and Gram slip behind. Well that was a mistake. My grandpa was off to the side with my grandma making sure she was alright when a man in black came up and tried to, well whatever he thought about doing was erased from his memory when Pap moved faster than I have ever seen and proceeded to twist that guy into a shape that would take him at least a month to untangle himself from.

At that moment, all around me, there was what seemed like a sea of people. They were standing, rising from the ground. These people had fought a battle. These people had won a battle. The men in black were on the ground, not moving. The woman in black was tied up, and my mom was standing tall. That was all it took for me to close the distance between us and fall into her arms, grateful, feeling safe for the first time in a really long time.

**TWO WEEKS LATER**

"Thank you so much! I am going to miss you guys so much!" As soon as the men in black had been hauled off, my mom and I headed to D.C. to give our full reports of the whole incident. As it turned out, my mom had been stepping out of the helicopter when she saw Bex and I gallop into the woods and she had seen the woman in black follow us. So that was all it took for her to cross the river and come to my rescue. After the briefings in Washington, my mom flew me back out to my grandparent's in Nebraska. And with me she had sent not only Bex, but Macey and Liz.

"We are going to miss you too! But we will be back in school soon, and you know then you will have to tell this story over and over and over again, and we will be happy to help you do that." Liz smiled as she picked up her bags and stepped toward the waiting car. "And if you need anything, you know I have been practicing my moves, and I have been getting pretty good at that one thing your mom taught us-" Liz had been walking backwards and she failed to see the rock behind her foot until it had wedged itself under her shoe and she of course was about to fall when someone was there to catch her.

"Easy there, Liz. Don't want to hurt yourself." Zach helped her to her feet and smirked at the blush that had spread all over her friends face.

"Um, thank you, Zach. Um, I'm, um sorry about that. Well, anyway, Cammie, I'll see you when we start school. You too Bex." And with that she was inside the car.

"Nice catch, Goode." Macey walked up beside us. "Cam, you should watch where you put rocks around here, wouldn't want someone getting hurt." She smiled. This whole thing had taken its toll on her as well. But now, the shadow was gone from behind her eyes and a burden was lifted from her shoulders. She leaned in and gave me a hug, "I'll see you at school Cam. Bex, you better take care of her." She smiled and pulled Bex into a hug, then turned and got into the same car as Liz. They looked out the back window and waved as the car pulled out of the drive.

Zach came and stood beside me, one arm around my shoulders.

"Well, now maybe we can have that relaxing summer break. NO men in black." Bex smirked as she turned toward the house. "But then, when you are a spy, relaxing has a whole new meaning."

--THE END--

**A/N: Well, thank you for reading my story. I really hope you liked it, and let me know what you think!!**


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